MoviePass Updates iOS App to Track You Less

The update hopefully stops MoviePass watching you drive to the movies and where you go afterwards.

By Matthew Humphries

8 Mar 2018, 11:30 a.m.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that MoviePass was happy to sell you an unbelievably good movie ticket subscription because it viewed your data as the new oil. So while you sat there watching a new movie everyday for $10 per month, MoviePass was collecting an "enormous amount" of information about you. In the CEO's own words, "We watch how you drive from home to the movies. We watch where you go afterwards."

Understandably, the fact MoviePass seems to track you everywhere caused some upset and MoviePass decided it needed to react. As TechCrunch reports, an update has now been released for the MoviePass iOS app which removes "unused app location capability."

MoviePass further clarified what that actually means by stating, "MoviePass released a new app update, including the removal of some unused app location capabilities. While part of our vision includes using location-based marketing to enhance the movie-going experience for our members, we aren't using some of that functionality today."

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The statement finishes by promising, "Our members will always have the option to choose the location-based services that are right for them today and in the future." Did they have that choice before it was revealed how much location tracking was going on?

It's still unclear exactly how much and what data MoviePass is collecting, but if you use the iOS app it's at least less information about your location with this update. It may also be possible to manage additional tracking by turning off location tracking on your phone and killing the app when not in use.